December 31, 2008

Chargebacks - The Best Offense is a Good Defense

A chargeback occurs when a cardholder disputes a merchant's charge against their account. Although they're relatively uncommon, chargebacks are an inevitable and potentially expensive part of credit card processing. Taking precautions to prevent chargebacks is instrumental in winning a dispute when one of your customers issues a chargeback. Complete Article ->>

December 30, 2008

Chargeback Fraud & Illegitimate Chargebacks

A proactive and thorough plan to prevent and deal with chargebacks is a must-have for any business that accepts credit cards. Without an effective plan, chargebacks can become costly and a high chargeback ratio can even prompt a processor to close a merchant account. Complete Article ->>

December 29, 2008

Charging a Minimum on Credit Card Purchases

One of the most contested issues in credit card processing is whether a merchant should have the ability to impose a minimum purchase amount on credit card transactions. At one point or another we've all walked into a store to make a quick purchase and after seeing a sign that read "minimum credit card purchase $10," realized we didn't have any cash. Complete Article ->>

December 23, 2008

Credit Card Processing Sales Reps - Don't Let One Bad Apple Spoil the Bunch

Did you ever have a bad experience with an individual sales agent that cast a shadow on your opinion of the credit card processor that they were representing? If so, you may want to reconsider for your own sake. Independent sales organizations (ISO) and agents make up the vast majority of the sales force in the credit card processing industry. Complete Article ->>

December 22, 2008

Merchant Account Reviews - Learn to Recognize the Useful & Avoid the Useless

Accurate, useful merchant account reviews do exist, but they're not always easy to find. The majority of merchant account reviews aren't worth the time it takes to read them, but there are helpful reviews out there and we're going to show you how to recognize them. The following article explains the downfalls that plague many merchant account reviews and it shows you how to recognize a bad review quickly. Complete Article ->>

December 18, 2008

Merchant Accounts & Personal Credit

A Merchant account is essentially a line of credit so it's not surprising that a principal's personal credit standing is an important consideration during the application process. While personal credit is an important factor in the merchant account application, it doesn't have the same effect as it would on a conventional line of credit or loan application. Complete Article ->>

December 17, 2008

Compare Merchant Accounts: The Key is to Compare Providers, Not Accounts

If you're in the process of comparing merchant accounts you probably familiar with the exhausting tables that compare rates, fees, contracts and other merchant account features from various providers. I'm happy to say that you won't find one of those tables here. There‘s certainly no shortage of information, comparison tables and advice on the Internet about how to compare merchant accounts. The issue is how useful this information is - if at all. Complete Article ->>

December 16, 2008

5 Reasons Why Businesses Overpay for Credit Card Processing

Credit card processing and merchant account are complex things and it's tough to get a handle on everything. However, taking a few minutes to learn a few quick pointers can help ensure that you don't overpay for credit card processing services for your business. Complete Article ->>

December 13, 2008

Free Credit Card Machines and the Fine Print

Gone are the days when a credit card machine cost a small fortune to purchase or rivaled a mortgage payment in monthly lease fees. Nowadays it seems like every merchant service provider is itching to give away free credit card machines. Most people see the word "Free" and can't help but to raise an eyebrow waiting for the catch. Complete Article ->>

December 12, 2008

Credit Card Processing - 5 Costly Myths & Misconceptions

The subject of credit card processing is confusing. Information about credit card processing can vary from one source to the next and even from one provider to the next. It's tough to know who to listen to and what can and can't be taken for granted. To set the record straight, the list below addresses five costly myths and misconceptions... Complete Article ->>

December 10, 2008

Credit Card Reward Programs - Merchants Lose, Consumers and Banks Win

Frequent flyer miles, retailer discounts, cash back and more; if it exists, you can get a credit card to earn rewards for it. As the overall use of credit cards increases so too does the demand for rewards credit cards. Credit card rewards programs have virtually no negative aspects for issuing banks. Complete Article ->>

December 9, 2008

Merchant Account Mistakes - How to Keep your Account in Good Standing

Stories abound of credit card processors closing merchant accounts and freezing funds. Most of these stories portray the processor as the evil villain out to steal from the small business owner. While this interpretation makes for an interesting plot, it's far from accurate. Complete Article ->>

December 8, 2008

Online Credit Card Processing Quotes - Help or Hindrance

Have you ever used an online service that promises to deliver multiple credit card processing quotes from different vendors? If you’re like other business owners who have used this method to find the best credit card processing account, you probably have mixed feelings about its effectiveness. Complete Article ->>

December 7, 2008

Credit Card Processing - Charging Customers a Fee to Pay with a Credit Card

As credit card processing gets more expensive, a burning questions on the mind of many business owners is, "can I pass credit card processing fees on to my customers, and if so, how?" In short, the answer is yes; you can charge customers a fee for paying with a credit card, but the issue is far more complex than that. Complete Article ->>

December 6, 2008

Merchant Account Declines - Save Time & Learn the Reasons Ahead of Time

Contrary to some of the marketing material that's floating around on the Internet, there's no such thing as a guaranteed merchant account. Some merchant service providers can legitimately advertise a 98% approval rate or higher, but that's because they pre-qualify clients before submitting a merchant account application to the processor. Complete Article ->>